Dendryphantes acutus

Dendryphantes acutus is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the Lesotho Dendryphantes jumping spider.

Distribution

Dendryphantes acutus is found in Lesotho and South Africa.
In South Africa, it is known from at Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve in Free State province.

Habitat and ecology

Dendryphantes acutus inhabits alpine grasslands at altitudes ranging from 1,732 to 2,401 m. The species is collected near the ground, either under rocks or in low vegetation within the Grassland Biome.

Conservation

Dendryphantes acutus is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species has a restricted range in South Africa with a very small extent of occurrence. More sampling is needed to determine the species' full distribution.

Etymology

The species name acutus is Latin meaning "sharp" or "pointed".

Taxonomy

Dendryphantes acutus was originally described by Wanda Wesołowska and Charles Haddad in 2014 from Letseng-la-Letsie in southern Lesotho. It was first recorded from South Africa in 2018. Both sexes are known.